By 1872, most Northerners were losing interest in Reconstruction. Proof of this changing opinion was evidenced in 1872, when Congress passed the Amnesty Act of 1872. Amnesty means forgiveness of past offenses. The Amnesty Act allowed most former Confederates to vote again. The effects of the Amnesty Acts were almost immediate. By 1876, Democrats had regained control of all but three states in the South. Republicans clung to power in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida, but only with the help of federal troops.